Step by step: Vancouver’s Parque Studio makes sustainable shoes with ethical materials

Parque Studios footwear styles include sneakers, loafers, and boots.Handout

After working in the footwear industry for over two decades, focusing on creating and operating products, Silvana Rivadeneira decided to strike out on her own. In 2021, she launched Parque Studio, a Vancouver-based shoe brand that combines timeless design, ethical materials and a closed-loop system. “It was born out of a need to slow down the pace of fashion to something more reasonable,” says Rivadeneira.

Using eco-friendly materials such as recycled rubber and hides that are a by-product of deer slaughter in Japan, Parque Studio operates on a pre-order system, where all styles are made pair by pair at Japan and shipped to customers within six weeks. It is a process that allows Parque Studio to produce only what is purchased, eliminating excess inventory. “If we design styles that are a flop and nobody likes them, we don’t make them,” says Rivadeneira, adding that taking a seasonless approach allows her customers to buy what they need, when they want. need it.

Designed with minimalism and clean lines in mind, Parque Studios shoe styles include sneakers, loafers and boots. For summer, Rivadeneira has introduced beige suede for the slipper, moccasin and pump and plans to add white deerskin in the future. “All of our styles are made to be durable, with repairability in mind, and materials that are meant to age,” she says. “We try to operate outside of the big industry roll, focusing on craftsmanship, smaller production runs, ethical materials.”

Park Studio, parcstudio.com.